Shared-use laboratories, flexible classrooms and a state-of-the-art educational environment will soon be the new academic learning ground for engineering students at Texas A&M University thanks to a $2 million contribution from The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW).

The nearly 550,000 sq. ft. Engineering Education Complex (EEC), part of Texas A&M’s Dwight Look College of Engineering, will become the hub of the university’s undergraduate engineering program. It will be built adjacent to the existing Zachry Engineering Center, which will be renovated during the construction project.

“This generous donation from Dow is more than just a contribution to a building, it is support for our vision to provide a unique learning environment for our students,” said Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering. “This new facility will change the way we deliver our engineering education and thus help us to produce the next engineering leaders.”

With more than 350 tenured/tenure-track faculty members and more than 12,000 students, the Look College is one of the largest engineering schools in the country, ranking third in undergraduate enrollment and ninth in graduate enrollment. The college is ranked by U.S. News & World Report seventh in graduate studies, eighth in undergraduate programs, and second in research expenditures among public institutions, with seven of the college’s 13 departments ranked in the Top 10.

Dow has a history of supporting higher education and invests in universities all over the world. In addition to this $2 million contribution, Dow hopes to see a paradigm shift in the value generated from relationships with academic partners through its multi-faceted support of faculty and students, research, academic programs and infrastructure.

“Texas A&M is one of Dow’s top universities for recruitment of engineers and scientists, and Aggie engineers have played a huge part in Dow’s success globally for many decades,” said Jeff Garry, manufacturing and technology director for the Microbial Control and Performance Monomers businesses at Dow. “We are thrilled to continue our long-time relationship with Texas A&M and look forward to seeing the students thrive in their new surroundings.”